Test your carbon footprint

Friday

Aug 22, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 22, 2008 at 9:02 PM

How much do you impact the environment?

Kelly Evenson

With the ever-increasing cost and demand for fuel and the continuation of emissions in the air that are slowly destroying the ozone layer, people are beginning to think of how they can help the environment.

But what really are the effects of our everyday activities?

Calculating your carbon footprint can give you a basic idea of how your life and day-to-day activities take their toll.

A carbon footprint is basically the measure of how our activities affect the environment and climate change. The calculation relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced each day through such things as burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation.

Dozens of carbon footprint calculators are available at the Internet. Some require basic information to give you a general idea of your carbon footprint, while others are much more specific, asking for how many miles you drive a week and how much electricity is used per month.

Some options for calculators include:

- www.carbonfootprint.com

- www.carboncounter.org

- www.epa.gov

- www.cool-it.us

- www.conservation.org

According to information on www.carbonfootprint.com, the average footprint for people in the United States is 20.4. The average worldwide footprint is 4.0.

In order to combat climate change, the world average needs to be 2.0, according to carbonfootprint.com.